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Abstract

The optical properties of transparent single membranes on the wings of the dragonfly Aeshna cyanea have been investigated. These membranes comprise one central thick cuticular layer covered dorsally and ventrally with typical odonatan wax pruinosity. Optical characterisation of individual membranes reveals they can support optical guided modes comprising differential polarisation reflection. We suggest this may offer an intraspecific signalling channel. The guided modes’ characteristics depend on membrane thickness and the nature of the wax pruinosity. We accurately modelled multiple optical data sets simultaneously, thereby inaugurally quantifying the roughness of the pruinosity and the complex refractive indices of the wax and the odonatan cuticle.

T. Labhart and E. P. Meyer, “Detectors for polarized skylight in insects: a survey of ommatidial specializations in the dorsal rim area of the compound eye,” Microscopy Research and Technique 47, 368–379 (1999).
[Crossref] [PubMed]

2000 (1)

1999 (2)

T. Labhart and E. P. Meyer, “Detectors for polarized skylight in insects: a survey of ommatidial specializations in the dorsal rim area of the compound eye,” Microscopy Research and Technique 47, 368–379 (1999).
[Crossref] [PubMed]

Kim, J.

Labhart, T.

T. Labhart and E. P. Meyer, “Detectors for polarized skylight in insects: a survey of ommatidial specializations in the dorsal rim area of the compound eye,” Microscopy Research and Technique 47, 368–379 (1999).
[Crossref] [PubMed]

Marshall, J.

Meyer, E. P.

T. Labhart and E. P. Meyer, “Detectors for polarized skylight in insects: a survey of ommatidial specializations in the dorsal rim area of the compound eye,” Microscopy Research and Technique 47, 368–379 (1999).
[Crossref] [PubMed]

J. Insect Physiol. (1)

Microscopy Research and Technique (1)

T. Labhart and E. P. Meyer, “Detectors for polarized skylight in insects: a survey of ommatidial specializations in the dorsal rim area of the compound eye,” Microscopy Research and Technique 47, 368–379 (1999).
[Crossref] [PubMed]

Figures (3)

Fig. 1. An SEM image showing a cleaved section of the single wing membrane from the fore-wing of Aeshna cyanea. The thin wax pruinosity is visible as the rough overlayer on the top surface (scale bar: 2 µm).

Fig. 2. A selection of SEM images, at the same magnification, of the surface cuticular wax layer from the Aeshna cyanea dragonfly wing shown on the right. (a) dorsal surface from region 1. (b) dorsal surface from region 2. (c) ventral surface from region 3. (d) dorsal surface from region 4. Although (c) is the only image which corresponds to the ventral surface, most other regions on the ventral surface resemble those of images (a) and (d).

Fig. 3. Angle-dependent TE polarised transmission data and theoretical fits for the four regions investigated. These regions correspond to the windows in the wing shown in the photograph in Fig 2. d1 is the thickness of the cuticular wax layer on the incident side of the structure, d2 is the thickness of the bulk cuticle layer, and d3 is the thickness of the cuticular wax layer on the exit side of the structure. σ1 and σ3 are the diminution constants describing the scattering due to the rough surfaces of the incident and exit interfaces respectively.